Balance. Wellness. Inspiration.

Get more from your muffins.

I woke up at 4:30am in Boston and it was starting to snow and now here I am a few hours later (read: two flight delays later) in Georgia, where the temperature is slowly climbing into the 60’s and all is sunny and wonderful…spring weather sure is a wild thing! I’m down in Georgia for the next few days for a work conference, which will be a great testament to my readers how to still balance health and fitness goals while traveling, but more to come on that later, though.

Yesterday I promised that I would post my first snack recipe today and then I left you hanging with a little teaser. The “Sunday Snacks” series, as I affectionately call it, is my attempt at sharing some of my favorite healthy, quick and easy-to-make snacks to fuel your life on the go–none of these recipes will take much of your time, but I hope they leave you feeling as satisfied and energized as they do for me.

I decided to start with one of my favorite snacks: Banana Oat Greek Yogurt Muffins. You’ll be surprised to find that most of the ingredients you may already even have in your pantry and cupboards already! These muffins are made without butter, oil, or flour and therefore make for a healthy grab-and-go breakfast item or a bite-sized snack throughout your busy day.

I originally found this recipe a year or so ago while surfing Pinterest for meals that would help fuel my half marathon training. I came across many banana oak muffin recipes, but what made this one jump out at me was the Greek Yogurt addition–it just seemed so interesting! At the time I was trying to integrate more Greek Yogurt into my diet so I figured I would give it a whirl. Now, I’m not sure if the original recipe came from this blogger or not, but I’d like to give her a shout out regardless because I felt like her directions were the easiest to follow and resulted in the most perfectly moist muffins (most likely due to the Greek Yogurt addition): Amanda, the health coach and blogger from Running With Spoons, thank you!

Okay, let’s get to it. This Banana Oat Greek Yogurt Muffins recipe should yield 12 muffins and the total time, from start to finish, is about 25 minutes (5-7 min. for prep time, 15-20 min. for cook time)–everyone has 25 minutes to spare, right?!

Here are the ingredients you’ll need, but feel free to improvise where you feel necessary; as you’ll see, I shared my improvisations below.

1/2 cup chocolate chips (I chose the mixed bag of chocolate chip and peanut butter for extra flavor…and I added a little extra for good measure).

Baking Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F and prepare muffin tin by spraying the cavities with cooking spray (or lining them with paper liners).

Mix all of the ingredients (except for the chocolate chips) into a blender or food processor.**Note: when I first made these I did not have a blender or food processor, so I used my small NutriBullet blender and it worked just fine…just took a little while longer because I had to blend it in sections due to space constraints. I later bought myself a KitchenAid Beater and used that instead–worked just as well.**

Once the batter is smooth and creamy and the oats are broken down, then stir in the chocolate chips by hand.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cavity until it is about 3/4 full. Here you have the option to add a few extra chocolate chips on top of each muffin for extra sweetness.

Bake for 15-20 min., or until you can insert a toothpick in the middle of the muffin and it comes out clean.

Let the muffins cool for about 10 minutes before moving them into an air-tight container so that you can enjoy the moistness for up to a week.

Here’s a snapshot of how mine turned out the last time I baked them:

No two muffins are alike so yours might look a bit different from mine, but I guarantee that you’ll love the way they taste. What I appreciate most about these muffins is that they’re delicious as it, or with an addition of a little butter, honey, or peanut butter–whatever your preference! Plus, like I said earlier, they’re a great grab-and-go breakfast option, something to snack on post-run, or just a healthier snack option to share with friends during your next get together!

Have any of you ever tried this recipe before? Do you have any improvisations to add to it or a similar healthy muffin recipe that you love just as much? Please make sure to share it with me on Twitter: @meggielukes–I’d love to know your thoughts!

I’ll be back again tomorrow for my first “Motivational Monday” series, where I’ll share with you my first fitness goal and challenge that I am tackling as I gear up for some late spring/early summer road races. This challenge may seem daunting, but I assure that you can do it, too!

In the meantime, don’t let the snowy, windy weather get you down–set aside 20 minutes or so to do something for you: baking Banana Oat Greek Yogurt Muffins for the week, getting in a solid stretch or meditation period, or starting to outline your own personal health and wellness goals.

Related

Post navigation

2 thoughts on “Get more from your muffins.”

“One kind word can change someone’s entire day”- unknown
I would add… One kind word can change someone’s entire life! Your words are powerful and inspiring. They also create contemplation. You inspire me to start walking again! I will get out there to enjoy nature while I exercise. Your words ARE powerful and life changing. Thank you!